


Developmental Milestones, or: Obi-Wan observes smiles and other firsts

by peskylilcritter



Series: Journey to Tattooine AU [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 18:57:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7695628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peskylilcritter/pseuds/peskylilcritter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke's first smiles, and other cute things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Developmental Milestones, or: Obi-Wan observes smiles and other firsts

The first time Luke smiles he’s only a few days old. Obi-Wan feels like everything stops for a second. Feels like everything is alright.

It’s just a second, a tiny open-mouthed smile, but in that moment it’s everything.

(Much later he realizes that the smile and the stinky diaper were probably connected and Luke wasn’t smiling because he was happy. Still. The memory is forever clear in his mind and dear to his heart.)

***

The first time Luke truly smiles he’s a little over a month old and it’s the middle of the night and Obi-Wan is exhausted.

Luke has been very calm lately but he’s only been sleeping in short bursts, and only as long Obi-Wan makes sure to keep the nipple of the bottle in his mouth. He never realised that sleep is a luxury not to be expected when you have a baby.

He’s drifting off again and the bottle slips and within minutes Luke is awake again.

Obi-Wan curls closer on the narrow bed and tries to remember when he last slept.

Luke wiggles and grabs for him and when Obi-Wan catches his tiny hand he suddenly grins. Wide, pink gums showing, with his whole face.

Obi-Wan smiles back reflexively. This, he thinks, is worth all the sleepless nights.

***

Really, it’s a sad commentary on his life that the only person Obi-Wan talks to with any regularity these days is a two-month-old baby. (He thinks it’s two months. He’d have to check the date to be sure. Time blurs when you’re on the run.)

Luke, it turns out, likes three things. Food, baths, and Obi-Wan’s voice. Getting two of those at the same time seems to make him ridiculously happy, smiling and wiggling.

Baths are a rare treat on passenger ships so Obi-Wan takes every opportunity to give him one. And of course he talks. A lot. He hasn’t talked this much in years and he discovers that he has a lot to say.

He smiles a lot too, in response to Luke or to get Luke to smile at him. Smiling at Luke is easy in a way smiling has never been for Obi-Wan, no matter how tired or angry or miserable he feels.

“-we got caught of course, but the look on Master Stanch’s face was worth the punishment,” he finishes, smiling.

Luke smiles back and then makes a sound Obi-Wan can only call cooing. He finds himself cooing right back, babbling praise and encouragement, feeling ridiculous and not caring.

***

In a very strange way they start having conversations. Obi-Wan talks and Luke grins and babbles back.

Sometimes people stare but Obi-Wan doesn’t mind. In fact, after he overhears someone describe him as “the guy with the baby who wouldn’t stop talking” rather than “Jedi Master Kenobi look-alike” he makes sure to talk to Luke in public all the time. His face is no longer memorable. As far as he can tell he’s mostly remembered as the talkative dad. Alright, shaving his beard might have helped, even if it does make him look terribly young.

He’s at the market, talking to Luke about the benefits of this vegetable or that fruit, ignoring the looks he’s getting, when the Force nudges at him.

He’s suddenly very tense. In the sling, Luke coos and stuff his fist into his mouth. Obi-Wan will have to feed him soon.

But the Force nudged him and he’s long since gotten used to listening to things like that, so he finds a quiet corner and reaches out.

The Force feels the same as it always does, so what…

Luke.

He’s Force sensitive, that much was clear before he was even born, and when he feels strongly he sometimes projects his feelings. But this…

Luke has never deliberately reached for Obi-Wan through the Force before.

Very carefully, Obi-Wan reaches back.

Luke makes a tiny happy shriek and sucks on his fist, drooling all over Obi-Wan’s shirt.

Alright then.

(Did the creche masters ever have this problem? Is he the first Jedi to have mental conversations with a baby? Why didn’t anyone ever talk about these things?)

***

Luke’s first word is milk. He doesn’t technically say ‘milk’ but ‘meh’ means milk. Obi-Wan decides it counts.

For ages, he doesn’t have a word for Obi-Wan. Perhaps that‘s because it’s simply never necessary, and honestly, Obi-Wan doesn’t even notice.

Not until Luke looks at him very seriously one day and says, “Ben.”

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted to write something happy for this au. this was actually titled 'the happy snippet' in my drafts.


End file.
